Apr. 17, 2014

Written by

Detroit Free Press Sports Writer

Defenseman Danny DeKeyser will play in his third career NHL playoff game Friday when the Detroit Red Wings open their first-round series against the Bruins in Boston.

DeKeyser suffered a broken hand in Game 2 of the first round last season against the Ducks and missed the remainder of the playoffs.

“I’m definitely looking forward to this and hopefully stay healthy this year,” DeKeyser said. “Last year I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to play.”

DeKeyser returned to playoff action last season, just not in the NHL. He helped the Grand Rapids Griffins win the Calder Cup in the American Hockey League. He played in six games for the Griffins and chipped in one assist.

“That was some really good playoff hockey as well,” DeKeyser said at his locker stall after Wednesday’s practice at Joe Louis Arena. “A lot of us that are in this room were down there last year, so we got a good taste of a long playoff run, and I think that might help us this year.”

DeKeyser played in 65 games this season for the Wings and had four goals and 19 assists.

“He plays huge minutes,” coach Mike Babcock said of DeKeyser. “That’s one of the guys we wore out” during the regular season.

The Wings had Monday off, followed by three days of practice before they face the Bruins.

“It’s great to have (DeKeyser) freshened up,” Babcock said. “He’s an incredible skater who can play great minutes. Transports the puck and gets it going in a hurry.”

DeKeyser said he has learned a lot this season about what it takes to be a good pro.

What improvement did he make this season?

“Just making some different reads on the ice, being a little more confident with the puck and just taking care of my own zone a little bit,” he said.

DeKeyser understands the Bruins are going to be a tough team to battle.

“They’ve got a great team,” he said. “They’ve got four lines they can roll at any time. They’ve got some really solid defensemen back there, some younger D that they’ve been rolling in. Two really good goalies, actually. They’re a tough team.”

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DeKeyser said the wins the Wings had against the Bruins during the regular season won’t matter in the playoffs.

“Right now, it doesn’t matter at all,” DeKeyser said. “If we could take three wins with us, it would be great, but we can’t. You throw those out the window, and the first to four wins.”

■ SPECIAL FOCUS: The Wings are focusing on specialty teams before they face the Bruins. Boston ranked third on the power play in the NHL during the regular season (21.7%).

Why are the Bruins so good on the power play?

“Size,” Babcock said. “Their ability to retrieve pucks. Everybody in the National Hockey League — off a face-off, off a puck put off the wall, off a shot — tries to put as much pressure as they can on you. The bigger you are, the more you can handle.”

Babcock said the Bruins have two different looks on their power play.

“They have a spread power play on the one group,” he said. “Then they have an overload with (Patrice) Bergeron high in the middle in the other group.

“They make it hard for you. Good depth, obviously. They score goals. So, that’s what’s going to make them hard.”

■ ONE PIN DOWN: Shut-down defenseman Jonathan Ericsson has had one pin removed from the four that have hampered his left hand since mid-March, when he suffered a broken finger and detached cartilage. “I have to leave the remaining three in there for 10-14 days,” he said Wednesday. Ericsson said he hopes to skate today, but he can’t handle the puck as long as his hand is in a splint. He’s doubtful to be available in this round.